If pickling green tomatoes, slice each tomato into eight wedges. If pickling cherry tomatoes, use a toothpick or wooden skewer to poke a hole through the center of each cherry tomato, so the pickling brine can penetrate the tomato flesh inside.

Set a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Place the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in the pot. Stir well, then bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, set out one quart jar or two pint jars. Fill the jars with the sliced green tomatoes (or whole cherry tomatoes) and add the garlic cloves, peppercorns, and allspice to the jars.

Once the pickling mixture has come to a boil, turn off the heat. Carefully pour the hot pickling liquid over the tomatoes, filling the jar close to the top, leaving only a ½-inch of space from the top rim.

Screw the lid on the jar, and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then place in the refrigerator and allow the tomatoes to pickle for at least 48 hours before serving.

If you plan to can the pickled tomatoes for long-term room temperature storage, make sure to wipe the rim of the jar with a wet paper towel before sealing with a lid.

Set a large pot of water over the stovetop and bring to a boil. Use canning tongs to gently lower the jar(s) into the boiling water. Make sure there is at least 1-inch of water over the top of the lids after the jars are in the pot. Bring the water back up to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, carefully remove the jars from the boiling water and allow them to cool to room temperature before storing.